I just saw an ad for a web design company that seemed to have a great deal – $999 for a website. Wow, I thought, not bad, but what’s the catch?
As I looked a little deeper we could see the catch, or catches easily. The first was “1 revision with additional revisions $75″. In the design world, especially the web design world, this is simply absurd. At Kona Impact we have literally done website where there have been upwards of thirty revisions. A revision is simply a change, so changing a color, font, background, logo placement or word is a revision. It is inconceivable that a web design company would only offer one revision!
The downside for a client, the buyer, is that he or she will end up with a template website that is not customized at all. For one’s Grand Canyon family photos, this is fine, but for a professional business, one that wants to be found online and attract new customers, a template site is certainly not the way to go. In other words, you will take what they come up with, and because the revisions are cost-prohibitive, you will end up with something that is kind of like a pair of shoes that is two sizes too big (or small)–they may work, but they are not what you want.
At Kona Impact we never set in stone the number of revisions for website. In the end, we want the client to receive what he or she wants, and if it takes many revisions to get there–it usually does–we’re fine with that as we priced the project appropriately in the first place.
We don’t believe in hidden costs or using “bait and switch” pricing. Instead we come up with fair prices that allow us the time and resources to make a truly great website. The client wins because he or she knows the project cost at the beginning The client also knows that revisions are part of the process and are not going to cost extra. We win because we plan for the time resources to get things done right.
If you’re looking for a great product, your website, and a comfortable process give us a call. Better yet, stop by our office for a free, no-hassle consultation (call first, though). 329-6077.
One of our clients has a great way of describing the benefit of buying locally: raising the water level. By this he means that when our money is spent at a locally owned businesses the “water level”, the overall health and economic viability of all local business improves.
At Kona Impact, we see this every day. A dollar spent on Kona coffee, for example, is circulated through our economy by the retailer (which, in the ideal is the farmer) to farm laborers, coffee processors, farm equipment and supplies stores, and, yes companies like Kona Impact that provide design and marketing services to coffee farmers. Very little of the money that goes to a coffee farmer coffee leaves our community. The water level rises.
In contrast a bag of Starbucks coffee purchased at Safeway does very little to improve our community, as almost all of the economic activity that goes into growing, processing, packaging and distributing the coffee occurs off island. In addition, the profit from that coffee sale is mostly repatriated to the mainland.
A common misconception is that a “big box” store will have more selection than a local business. Here at Kona Impact, for example, we actually have a much greater variety of specialized wide format printing material than anyone is town. And, as a new client pointed out the other day, our prices are actually lower, our service is better and our turnaround time is much faster than the local big box store that has some overlap with us in wide format printing.
So, if you want to get something done better, faster, less expensively and support your community, give a locally owned business a call.
If you are looking for signage, graphic design, online marketing or web design services in Kona, Hawaii, give us a call: 329-6077.
There are many charter boat operations in Kona, Hawaii, but few that we would recommend to serious fishing enthusiasts. High Noon is one to recommend.
Experienced, patient and genuinely an enjoyable person to be around, Captain Dee offers an excellent (and in Kona terms affordable) big game fishing adventure in Kona. While it’s called “fishing” and not “catching” everyone wants the best opportunity experience the best of what the Kona coast has to offer.
Kona Impact worked with Dee to develop a new site that presented his business well to those online. Of particular importance was integrating the Facebook, Twitter and TripAdvisor social media on the website and creating an easy to use blog system that would allow him to update his site with ease. There are few, if any, web sites for Kona fishing charters that integrate all these elements.
I think there has been no business in recent memory in Kona that has drawn more interest than Sam Choy’s Kai Lanai. Sam is synonymous with Hawaii regional cuisine, and many locals felt despondent (yes, I’m serious) when his restaurant in Kona closed several years back. Every Kona Impact client that we knew we were working on his website asked incessantly: “when is it going to open?”
Well, the good new is here: Sam Choy’s Kai Lanai is now open! If you are one of the two people in Kona who do not know the location, it’s located above the Keauhou Shopping Center in the location what was once a Wendy’s.
Kona Impact put their menus on their website a few days ago, completing the website, and we could not stop talking about the variety and, at least for lunch, the great prices. Dinner is a bit more expensive, but with it’s great sunset views and awesome menu choices, it’s worth it. We will be there on Monday for lunch.
Kona Impact’s role was to develop the website. We sought to highlight the food, while at the same time keeping the essential information–phone and location–easily accessible.
We are excited to welcome Sam Choy’s Kai Lanai to Kona. It certainly feels a void in that area of Kona, and, truth be told, Hawaii Island.
One of the great things about working with food and drink producers is that we, of course, get to taste the goods. We have enjoyed the macadamia nut rum cakes, sushi, paninis, Indian food and desserts we have tasted on the way to creating the logos, signage, websites and print collateral for the businesses with which we work.
One of our favorite types of businesses we love working with is local farmers, more specifically, Kona coffee farms. For those in the know, Kona coffee is simply put some the best coffee in the world. We say this as avid roasters and drinkers of coffee. Our small office goes through a pound a week, sometimes more. In an year, we probably taste twenty different coffees.
Country Samurai is local coffee farm located about five miles from our office. Located at the perfect elevation in the Kona coffee belt, this farm produces some of the best of the best Kona coffee.
We spent a lot of time working with the owners on their website, and we can say, with equivocation, that this is one of the most serious (in terms of quality) operations out there. From growning humungous trees (most prune extensively to help picking) and putting truckload after truckload of mulch in their fields, Country Samurai does not what is convenient; it does what is right.
One thing you’ll notice about the website is that it is fully bilingual–Japanese and English. This was a particular challenge for the Kona Impact team, as we, in effect, had to put everything in twice, content-wise. In the end, we’re excited about the result and are sure it will bring Country Samurai some good results.
There should be only one boat that comes to mind for luxury sportfishing in Kona, Hawaii: TOPSHAPE. It is, quite simply, in a class by itself.
As Captain Al, the owner and operator of TOPSHAPE, likes to make clear: there is Kona fishing and there is TOPSHAPE fishing. This makes sense: there is chocolate and there is Godiva chocolate; there is flying and there is flying first class; there are sports cars and there are Ferrari’s. There is ordinary, and there is extraordinary.
The Kona Impact crew loved working on the TOPSHAPE website. We started with a visit to the boat at Honokohau Harbor. We then spent a lot of time making sure the visual impact and content of the website were just right. Some of the features of the site include a blog, video, extensive galleries, a Flash tour of the boat and a lot of work making the text a truthful representation of what the boats is.
If you are looking for the best day fishing in Kona in your life, check out TOPSHAPE. While we can’t guarantee that you’ll catch a huge marlin, we do know that Captain Al, with 25 years of experience, and the 43′ Cabo boat will ensure that you’ll have the most comfortable and enjoyable experience possible.
One of the most cost-effective, revenue generating thing a business can do is upgrade its signage. The saying that signs don’t cost, they pay, is certainly true in most instances.
One of our recently completed projects is new signage for the Alii Gardens Marketplace. This is a nice, open air market on Alii Drive. Popular with tourists and locals, this market is a place for locals to sell their goods, including artwork, aloha shirts, local crafts, jewelry and locally-grown food.
Our goal with the sign was to focus on the “marketplace” aspect and lessen the focus on the “Alii Gardens” aspect, as, in the past, this has tended to confuse passer-byes, as they often thought it was a gardening center or a tourist attraction.
While we won’t go into too much detail, this sign is built to last. Using only top-quality materials and taking the time to make sure we prepared and applied the material correctly, make this a sign that will be there for years to come…and still look great.
If you’re new to Kona or just here for a vacation, take a few hours of a day and visit some of the shops at the Alii Gardens Marketplace. It’s located about a mile and a half south of Kailua Village on Alii Drive. Just look for the signs!
And, if you’re a business owner looking to gain better visibility, give us a call. We can help! 329-6077.
A few months ago, one of Coach Walters’ sons, Brett, came in to Kona Impact asking if we’d design a new logo for the football team. We immediately knew this would be a “community project”; that is, something we do at no charge for a good cause in the community. Kona Impact does a lot of this, though it’s not something we talk a lot about.We just like the warm, fuzzy feeling we get when we see something we do that helps a local organization.
The mascot for Konawaenna High School is a wildcat. Defining that was our biggest challenge. We found a lot of cougars, bobcats, cats and just scary looking felines for inspiration, but to find “wildcats” was a bit more of a challenge. After going back and forth with Brett and the Parents’ Committee several times, we did come up with a pretty awesome looking wildcat (see below).
The new logo will be on the football helmets this year and on the jerseys (when they re-order) next year. We were especially gratified to hear that each member of the team had to be academically eligible to get a new helmet sticker. Good job, coach.
We look forward to seeing the team on the field this year. Go Wildcats!
More and more people are turning to the internet to find local providers of services. In fact, it was over two years ago that more people began searching for local providers online than using phone book. As such, a local business that wants to attract local customers or clients is missing a big piece marketing mojo if it does not have an effective website.
Kaitie Nova, a Kona psychologist,wanted a website that would give those who are looking for mental health services a comprehensive place to find out about her and what she offers. To that goal, the Kona Impact team (and Katie!) looked at tens of websites for psychologists around the country. Truth be told, it was hard to find many that not only looked good, but also had a good amount and flow of information.
After a lot of work with color schemes and graphics, as well as the content creation went into coming up with what is now Katie’s new site.
While it is easy, of course, to say that all of our clients were wonderful to work with, and we would recommend their services to anyone, it is not something we say all the time.
If you are in need of some help, give Katie a call. She’s very approachable, perceptive and has helped a lot of people in the Kona community.
Looking for a great Kona snorkeling tour? There are many options–from small six person boats to large, crowded vessels. Our favorite…and new client…is Sea Paradise.
Operating out of Keauhou Bay, Sea Paradise is actually one of the few boats that actually sails. Their immaculately maintained catamaran has a morning snorkel tour, an afternoon snorkel tour and a night manta snorkel tour.
If you like snorkeling, we’d highly recommend a morning snorkel, and, maybe not on the same day, a night manta snorkel, a world famous tour that should not be missed. It’s, for many island visitors, the highlight of their vacation.
We had several design and function goals with their new website. We wanted it to be easy on the eyes, informative and very easy to navigate. Though you may disagree, we think the site is by far the best excursion/tour site in Kona in terms of how it looks and how easy it is to make an online booking.
Click to visit the Sea Paradise website
